Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1908789.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Peter_Pettigrew/James_Potter, Sirius_Black/Remus_Lupin
  Character:
      James_Potter, Peter_Pettigrew, Sirius_Black, Remus_Lupin
  Additional Tags:
      Dom/sub, Bondage, Mild_Masochism, Sympathetic!Peter, Valentine's_Day
  Stats:
      Published: 2006-03-01 Words: 5009
****** To Distraction ******
by puckity
Summary
     James is complaining about his lack of plans for Valentine’s Day to
     anyone who will listen. Sirius and Remus are not as caring and
     understanding as he demands. Peter—on the other hand—is all too ready
     to offer his own unique distractions.
Notes
     Written in 2006, in response to gratuitous Peter bashing. Though I
     don't condone his later actions, I think there is a lot to explore in
     his motivations and characterization--especially his younger self.
     Beta'd by the brilliant Rachel.
     You can also follow me on Tumblr.
“I am so bored.” James draped himself over one of the common room chairs and
whined in Sirius’s general direction. “Bored, bored, bored.”
“And?” Sirius focused his attention on making two quills duel, frustrating
James with the lack of attention. “What do you want me to do about it?”
“C’mon Sirius, let’s do something tonight.” James waved around the room filled
with cuddling couples and enchanted love bobbles, and snorted in disgust. “It’s
not like we have anything better to do.”
At the triumphant cheer, James wormed his body around to watch Sirius grin
maniacally over the butchered feather body. He rolled his eyes and Sirius
nearly shoved him off the chair in an effort gain a place on the piece of
furniture. “Speak for yourself, mate.” Sirius chirped smugly, just to annoy
James. “I’ve already got plans tonight.”
“Liar.” James tried to say it offhandedly, but the fact that he was now sitting
alertly on the chair arm betrayed his slightly offended interest.
“It’s not my fault that the girl you’re pining after is a bit too feisty for
you.” James opened his mouth but Sirius cut him off before he could make a
sardonic quip. “If you are so miserable, why don’t you go ask Snivellus for
some pointers on how to gain sympathy from Evans. I’m sure he’d relish the
chance to withhold information from you.”
“Thanks, I’ll get on that straight away.” James moved to knock Sirius in the
shoulder, but Sirius leaned away and he punched the overstuffed upholstery
instead. “You bastard. Don’t even mention that slimy excuse for a wizard right
now. I won’t have Severus Snape tainting my Valentine’s Day.”
Sirius chuckled. “You’ve got nothing else to think of today.”
“You know,” James crossed his feet over Sirius’s lap; if Sirius cared more
about his upkeep this might have bothered him. “You have yet to tell me about
your glorious and highly romantic plans for tonight. I might be inclined to
disbelieve your story if you don’t provide some proof to back it up.”
“Ha! Well, I don’t think I’d describe the plans as glorious and highly
romantic, and if you had paid more attention to the lunar cycle and less
attention to your wounded pride you would know exactly what my plans were.”
James looked at him curiously. Sirius stood up abruptly and kicked the remnants
of his quill duel into the fireplace. Just then James spotted a slumped figure
walking skittishly across the room, disappearing up the boys’ dormitory stairs.
Sirius saw it too, and glanced at James meaningfully.
“I think we should probably finish this conversation in the dormitory, don’t
you?”
“Yeah, yeah,” James muttered distractedly. He felt slightly guilty all of the
sudden, seeing as—whatever his problems—at least he wasn’t going to spend
Valentine’s Day as a werewolf.
Both fifth year boys shuffled out of the common room, as unnoticed as the boy
they were following had been. Sirius bounded up the stairs two at a time while
James lagged behind, hands shoved in his pockets. When he reached the dormitory
door, Sirius pushed it open with a loud crash. James winced and hurried up so
he could slip in without having to reopen the heavy oak giant.
The room was unusually vacant; James pouted at how all his male peers—save his
four friends—seemed to have a better place to be than here. On one of the
center beds that boy hugged his knees to his chest and poured over what looked
to be an Astronomy book. Sirius strode over and dropped next to him; the
mattress shuddered under the sudden weight.
“Hey there Moony, why the glum face?” Sirius pulled the book away from Remus
and tossed it on the next bed over. James leaned nonchalantly against the
canopy post.
“You know why.” Remus let his knees go and rubbed his hands together idly.
“Cheer up, Moony! After all, at least you aren’t going to be alone on
Valentine’s Day.” Sirius winked at James, who briefly considered smacking him.
“Besides, if you are all mopey about it I might feel a bit inadequate.” James
couldn’t see it, but he knew that Sirius was giving Remus one of his endearing,
puppy dog looks that made it utterly impossible to deny him anything. Even in
the lengthening shadows, James could see Remus blush.
“I really do appreciate you staying with me tonight. I’m sure there were a lot
of…other…things you’d rather be doing.” Remus’s smile was achingly genuine.
“Well, I could hardly leave you with Prongs here. He’s been reeking of self-
pity for days now. And Wormtail—who knows where he got off to. James, didn’t he
say he was staying after Care of Magical Creatures about something?”
“Yeah, he had some questions about the distinctions between two breeds of
lethifolds. Glad he’s asking about it too, because when he finds out he’ll be
able to explain it to me. At least there is something good we get out of his
tuttering over facts.” James never had found Care of Magical Creatures to be
the most enthralling of courses.
“Yeah, and then you can tell me.” Sirius spent most every class beside James,
making snide comments to amuse them both. “Anyway, Wormtail is procuring
information vital to our passing the O.W.L.S., Prongs is angsting over his
lackluster love life, and so that leaves only the trusty Padfoot at your
service.” Sometimes James wondered at how odd—foolish and almost
childish—Sirius got around Remus. It had only become really evident over the
past year or so, but James often thought that he had seen it beginning much
earlier. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. James looked away at the right
moments and nothing became awkward in their collective relationship.
But sometimes he couldn’t look away, or he wouldn’t look away. James watched
them now out of the corner of his eye. Remus sniggered at Sirius’s flowery
speech and Sirius seized that moment—when Remus’s guard was down—to shoot
forward for a quick kiss. James watched Remus nervously return the attention,
and just before everything became too strange Sirius pulled back. The line
between friendship and something else kept blurring between those two; all
three of them simply avoided the subject.
“Well, I think it’s about time we headed out to the Shack, eh Moony?” Remus
peered apprehensively at the darkening window. He nodded absently and both of
them got off the bed. They walked past James without so much as a goodbye.
“Hey!” James stood—arms crossed—in the middle of the room. Sirius spun around
and eyed him quizzically. “So what am I supposed to do while you two are having
a moonlit romp?”
Sirius smirked at him. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll find some way to amuse yourself.”
Then he turned and breezed past Remus, who was looking at James half-
apologetically. Sirius caught him by the wrist and pulled Remus after him.
James watched his two friends leave the dormitory, hand in hand.
“Great.” James fell back onto his bed with a thud, mentally cursing every happy
person in the world that night. This was most definitely not how he’d planned
on spending his evening.
                                      ---
The loud crash of the dormitory door caused James to fly up off his bed. He
must have fallen asleep because he could see by glancing outside that the night
had arrived some time ago.
“James! I’ve been looking all over for you!” James blinked, trying to focus his
eyes on the smaller boy framed in the candlelight flaring off his skewed
glasses. “None of you were at dinner and I thought maybe something had
happened.” Peter set his books down on his night table and sat on the edge of
his bed, across from James.
“I missed dinner?” James’s stomach reproached him for that.
“Yeah, but it’s alright. I snuck some buttered bread and biscuits back for
you.” Peter produced the smuggled items wrapped in a napkin. James went over to
sit beside him, shoveling the food into his mouth to soothe his disgruntled
stomach.
“Where were you? Where are Remus and Sirius?” James rolled his eyes.
“Out picking wildflowers, I imagine.” Peter quirked his head in confusion.
“It’s a full moon tonight, and Sirius is keeping Remus company.”
“Oh.” Peter looked down at his shoes.
“And I was lamenting my lack of Valentine’s Day plans, which apparently
included falling asleep and missing my favorite meal of the day.” Peter giggled
and James smiled indulgently. He couldn’t have the banter he had with Sirius
with Peter, but the smaller boy’s adoration stroked James’s ego and James found
that he had actually grown rather fond of him.
“I’m sure it won’t make you feel better, but I don’t have any plans either.”
James watched Peter pull at the loose threads on his refitted robes. “I mean, I
was going to work on my Transfiguration essay and maybe practice some reversal
charms, but other than that…” Peter trailed off uncertainly.
“What did you find out about lethifolds?” James tried changing the subject to
see if it would dispel the uncomfortable silence in the room. Most of the time,
James didn’t actually know what to say to Peter.
“Nothing. I got caught up in the library trying to find a certain type of
memory recovery potion and when I realized what time it was I was already late
for dinner.”
“Hm.” James finished his last biscuit and considered making an excuse to go
back to the common room. He was just about to mention a scroll that he needed
to look for when Peter spoke up.
“This probably isn’t anything you’d be interested in—I mean, you probably
wouldn’t want to do it or anything…” Peter’s sudden anxiety caught James’s
interest. He leaned forward, encouraging Peter to say it. “Well, since—you
know—neither of us have plans tonight…and Remus and Sirius are gone…did you
maybe want to do something?” James was momentarily stunned. He wasn’t entirely
sure he understood what Peter was suggesting, and if he did understand he
wasn’t entirely sure how he wanted to answer.
Peter barely gave him a chance to think. “Forget it. It was a bad idea. Sorry.”
He stood up and started walking hurriedly towards the door. James watched his
slim frame, thought about his at-times fawning interest in James. He thought
about Remus and Sirius out in the Shrieking Shack, considered his total void of
events for the night. He could always just pass this off as an act of
desperation in the morning.
“Peter, wait!” Peter stopped cold, hunched like he expected to get hit. Then he
turned but avoided James’s face. James stared at him nonetheless. “What exactly
did you have in mind?”
“What did you have in mind?” Peter’s rapid mood shift threw James off-guard. He
was staring back at James with an intensely eager expression, and James
considered the small surge in his veins at this reaction.
“Um, well, I don’t really know. Whatever, I guess. Anything you want to do?”
James spoke carefully, waiting to gauge Peter’s response.
“I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever you want is what I want.” Peter’s
excitement might have been more unsettling if James wasn’t reacting quite as
strongly as he was. The thought of someone so willing to please him was
intoxicating.
“You could, um, whip me if you wanted.” Peter had inched slowly back towards
the bed. James must have looked shocked at his suggestion because he
immediately looked away, obviously embarrassed.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” James’s answer seemed to surprise Peter.
“Well, we could steal some food from the kitchen or play at acting like someone
else or you could order me about or tie me up or—”
“Order you about?” James noted the ‘tie me up’ option, but was more interested
in this ordering about business at the moment. “What do you mean?”
“Well, er, you could tell me what you want me to do and I’d do it. Kind of like
ordering about a house elf, really.”
“A house elf? That’s an enticing mental image.” James tried to block out the
bugging eyes and protruding noses. Peter giggled again nervously.
“Well then, more like a servant or…slave, I suppose.”
“And you’d do whatever I asked?”
“Yes.” James had barely finished his question before Peter blurted out his
reply.
“Hmm.” James pushed off the mattress and walked leisurely over to his own bed,
unfastening his robes as he did. He slung the odious piece of clothing into his
chest and toed off his shoes. “Come here.”
Peter blinked at him. James tried to quell the jittering in the pit of his
stomach by putting his hands on his hips and tapping his foot impatiently.
“Well, what are you waiting for? You said you’d do whatever I asked, didn’t
you?” James watched the realization dawn on Peter.
“Oh! I didn’t realize—I didn’t know, um, alright then.” Peter scurried toward
James. His immediate obedience made James a little braver.
“Stop.” Peter halted instantly. “Take off your robes and shoes and leave them
at your bed.” Peter hastily pulled at the worn fabric. “And take off your socks
too.”
“Yes, sir.” James’s heart beat faster at the title of respect. Peter neatly
arranged the items by his bed and then padded over to James. He stopped just
short of the bed.
“Now take off your sweater and trousers, and leave them at your bed.” Peter
didn’t question the repetitive request and he didn’t complain that he could
have just taken off everything at his bed the first time. James took some cruel
enjoyment in sending him back and forth.
As Peter undressed, James pulled off his own sweater and tie and tossed them
into his chest along with his socks. He undid his belt and was about to get rid
of it when he remembered that ‘tie me up’ option and threw it up on the bed.
When he turned around Peter was behind him, his slight frame looking even
thinner now that he wore nothing but an oversized shirt and fraying tie, and
pale blue shorts peeking out beneath them.
James paused for a second to take in the boy in front of him. A mop of dirty
blonde hair offset his pale blue eyes; light skin stretched tight and judging
by his slight shaking James guessed the chilly tower air had already started to
get to him.
“Get on the bed.” Peter shuffled past him and crawled into the center of the
bedspread. James picked his wand off the night table and Peter tensed, eying it
apprehensively. James laughed, even as a sense of power swelled deep in him.
“I’m going to cast a silencing spell. Somehow I don’t think our classmates
would appreciate hearing whatever it is we do tonight.” The fear drained from
Peter’s face and he smiled in relief.
“Contegio Silencium!” James waited for a moment and then glanced at Peter. “Say
something loud when I close the curtains.” Peter nodded and James pulled the
canopy shut. He stood there for a few minutes until Peter’s head popped out.
“Did you hear it?”
“No.” James grinned. “Perfect.” He put his wand back on the night table and
slid through the curtains.
Peter sat cross-legged near the pillows; James kneeled on his calves closer to
the end of the bed. This was it, that crucial turning back point. James felt
his cock already hardening in his trousers. Lily Evans be damned for the night.
James Potter wasn’t one to waste an opportunity.
Peter must have underestimated his speed, because James felt Peter’s body
flinch when he lunged forward.
“Don’t be scared, Peter.” James whispered against his ear. “Remember what I
want is what you want. You aren’t going to lose it now, are you?”
“N—no.” Peter’s stuttering made James’s cock twitch.
“No what?”
“No, sir.” James could feel Peter’s chest rising and falling erratically.
“Good boy.” James nipped experimentally at Peter’s ear. The other boy’s breath
hitched and James pulled away. “Give me your hands.”
Peter offered his hands directly. James grabbed for the belt and before Peter
knew what was happening James had wrapped the leather strip around his wrists.
He moved past Peter to the head board and looped the end through one of the
center cutaways. After two solid knots James tugged the belt hard, testing his
makeshift restraint. There was no guarantee that it wouldn’t come undone later
on, but it was the best he could manage at the moment.
James moved back down near the foot of the bed, allowing Peter room to adjust.
“Is it too tight?” He couldn’t keep the concern completely out of his tone.
“No, sir.” James smiled to himself, waiting for Peter to settle into a
comfortable position. When the movement finally stopped, James worked his way
up to the smaller boy.
James decided to start by straddling Peter. He managed to exercise some control
by not shamelessly grinding Peter into the mattress; instead he gyrated his
hips once and—satisfied that the other boy was as aroused as his ‘sirs’ made
him out to be—James grabbed hold of his shabby red and gold tie and yanked his
neck up.
James could see Peter straining for air and he reached for the knot, working it
down to give his throat some slack. When he stopped sputtering James leaned
close to his face.
“Ready, Peter?”
“Yes, sir.”
James slid back to straddling. He let go of Peter’s tie and began unbuttoning
his shirt. His fingers felt clumsy; if he didn’t know that this was one of the
few decent shirts Peter owned he would have simply ripped it open. Finally all
the buttons were undone, exposing an almost fragile-looking and hairless chest.
James felt Peter shudder beneath him as the cool air hit his skin.
Curious, James ran his hands over Peter’s chest, noting the notches in his skin
where his ribs jutted up. The skin was smooth even with the bones pushing up
against it. When he brushed over Peter’s tiny nipples he felt that shudder
again. James grabbed the tie and pulled.
“Do you want it rough or gentle, boy?” He hadn’t planned on calling Peter ‘boy’
but at the look of sheer delight on his face James figured he might as well do
it.
“I want it rough, sir.”
James didn’t respond; he was starting to get the hang of this game. Instead he
let some of the tie slip through his hand and began pulling and pinching at
that smooth skin. Peter yelped and James glanced up to make sure he was
actually enjoying it. His blonde head was pushing into the pillows, as much as
it could while James still had some hold on his tie. Feeling slightly giddy at
the sight, James moved up. He twisted and squeezed those hard little nipples,
the squeaks Peter made egged him on. But they weren’t enough. James wanted
Peter to scream tonight; whether it was from pain or pleasure he didn’t really
care.
Tightening his grip on the tie, James leaned down and bit hard on one of the
nipples. Peter arched sharply. James ran his teeth over the hardened skin,
biting whenever the urge stuck him. He moved between the two peaks and kept
going until every other breath from Peter was a moan. Then he worked farther
up, scraping his teeth and nipping the salty skin from Peter’s sternum to his
collarbones and up his neck. It wasn’t really kissing, James rationalized to
himself. It was closer to eating, honestly. Sating a craving.
Peter’s moaning was near now, against his cheek. James could feel him arching
upward, vainly trying to find friction for the ache in his shorts. But James
didn’t want Peter to get off before him, didn’t feel like he should allow it.
He stopped sucking the nape of that neck; now was the time to see just how many
orders Peter would take.
Vaguely vacant eyes stared up at him. James’s mouth spread open in a leering
smile. Not looking away from the trembling boy, he unzipped his trouser front
and guided his cock out of the numerous folds of fabric. Peter’s gaze flicked
down—a bit apprehensively, James noted with pleasure—then his head jerked back
up as James tugged sharply on his tie. James slinked up Peter’s chest, dragging
his nails over the skin behind him. He stopped when his cock was just within
range of Peter’s small mouth.
“Open up, Peter.” Peter hesitated and James repeated the order, louder.
“Open. Up.” The slight boy was shaking violently and blinking fast. He
swallowed hard and—after a slight hesitation—nodded fervently, stretching his
jaw as widely as he could.
“Good boy.” James inched forward until he could feel Peter’s warm breath
grazing over his cockhead. He ran his fingers gently through the tufts of
unkempt hair. “No need to look so terrified, Wormtail. I’m not going to choke
you.” Peter nodded again, and this time his lips brushed over that head. James
bucked, but just barely.
“Lick.”
“Ye—yes, sir.” Peter’s tongue edged out, flicking in an almost taunting way.
James groaned in the back of his throat. He briefly considered that if he could
just get Evans to do this, his life would be perfect. James watched Peter get
more daring, licking around the entire head and sucking the tip with his thin
lips. He strained against the belt trying to get at more of James’s cock. He
seemed so keen on it that James decided to give him a bit more.
Lifting himself onto his knees, James let go of the tie and allowed Peter’s
head to fall back into the bedspread. Leveraging himself against the top of the
headboard, James positioned his cock directly above Peter’s willing mouth. His
order was concise and blunt.
“Make me come.”
Peter didn’t even answer him. James felt his mouth swallowing as much of the
job as he could manage. His cracked lips ran roughly over James’s overly
sensitive skin; he was remarkably good at not letting his teeth get in the way.
James wondered if Sirius or Remus had ever made use of Peter’s hidden talents,
though somehow he couldn’t quite see Sirius having the patience or Remus having
the dominance for this. Yes, James flattered himself that he was rather
superior to his mates in this aspect.
Peter went back to focusing on the pulsing head, working his tongue into the
miniscule hole at the tip. James wished that Peter could get at his balls, but
settled that having the boy completely at his mercy was worth the sacrifice.
Instead he closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensations. Trying to focus
with his glasses in the dim light was a pain anyway. He focused on Peter
running his tongue as far down the shaft as possible. He focused on Peter
pulling his cock all the way into his throat. He focused on Peter sucking and
slurping at the head, desperate and hungry. James could feel the sensation
start to build within him.
He peeked down, wanted to see Peter’s expression. It was pure concentration,
eyebrows furrowed and cheeks hollowing, spit dripping down his chin. His eyes
flickered beneath nearly-shut lids; he squinted into some invisible horizon.
That look drove James wild. He couldn’t help himself; the reaction was entirely
physical. Without so much as a warning he started to fuck Peter’s mouth hard.
He could feel Peter gagging around his cock but he ignored it. The more
helpless Peter looked, the harder and faster James thrust. Eventually Peter
must have stopped struggling and relaxed his throat because he hadn’t started
actually choking. Not that James noticed. His whole body was tipped at the
edge.
“Ah—uhhh…time to swallow, boy.” James had no idea how he managed to force out
the order as his senses began to collide. He was so close that as he said ‘boy’
he’d already begun to let out a low keen; his legs jerked and buckled as he
slammed deep into Peter’s throat and felt those muscles contract and loosen as
he swallowed down everything James’s cock shot out. As he came down, James felt
the back of his eyes burning from the intensity of his orgasm. He pulled his
cock from Peter’s slackening mouth; the smaller boy gasped softly and coughed a
few times.
James would have much preferred that it be over with that. Coming always made
him tired and the dormitory would be filled with the rest of their peers soon
enough, if some of them hadn’t returned already. As it was, Peter would have to
sneak out of his bed in the middle of the night to avoid raising any
suspicions. Somewhat sulkily, James looked at Peter’s face now. It still looked
full of concentration—or perhaps that was frustration, James wasn’t certain. If
the tables were turned, James would be frustrated too. Still, James considered
untying him and letting him take care of himself. Peter wouldn’t mind, he
wouldn’t question or complain. But that wasn’t really fair, James conceded, and
Peter had been more than accommodating for him. James pushed himself back until
he was sitting over Peter’s legs and reached haphazardly into those pale blue
shorts.
The ego-trip of his noble sacrifice was really only confined to getting Peter
off. Immediately he began thinking of the fastest way this could be achieved.
As he did, his hand casually stroked over Peter’s small—but not embarrassingly
so—hard-on. He noticed Peter squirmed at this, and decided to make a go at
simply wanking him off. After a minute or so, Peter made a broken plea. But he
spoke so softly that James couldn’t hear it and he stopped his hand temporarily
to focus fully on Peter’s words.
“Come again?”
“Har—harder, please.” Peter’s gaunt hands groped at the sheets.
“Please what?” James probably shouldn’t tease him at such a crucial moment, but
he couldn’t resist.
“Please, sir.” Peter sounded so frantic that it took all James’s will power not
to get hard again. Instead he went back to wanking. He kept a frenetic beat,
clenching Peter’s cock with such erratic force that he wondered how the boy
could enjoy it at all. But the rougher he got the more Peter panted and moaned
until James felt as though—between his one hand wanking and the nails on his
other hand ripping into Peter’s abdomen—he had to be tearing the poor boy
apart.
James watched as a few thin lines appeared where his nails bit into Peter’s
flesh. Nothing more than a couple small scratches, still James felt a bit
guilty over making Peter bleed. Without really thinking about it he bent down
and licked over the marks; there was no particular motivation behind it other
than trying to clean his brutality off of the frail body beneath him. But for
some reason—which James couldn’t entirely grasp—this action sent Peter reeling
into spasms. James felt the warm wetness coat his hand in Peter’s shorts and
noticed that Peter’s fingernails dug into his own skin as he came. James
suddenly saw the pattern of faint scars all over Peter’s torso. Deciding that
one last indulgence was justified, he licked over the fresh scratch marks made
by Peter’s own knobby fingers. If it was possible, Peter cried out the loudest
at this, then jerked upwards and settled back on the covers. James watched him
wheeze, his eyelids still fluttering in a dazed sort of way.
He examined the smaller boy fully for a moment. For the first time since James
had really known Peter, he seemed distracted enough to not have that look of
perpetual cowardice and insipidness about him. He actually looked like he could
manage on his own, without Remus or Sirius or—Merlin forbid—James himself. He
looked nearly independent, and James didn’t like it. He didn’t like the thought
of losing a constant source of unadulterated praise. If he wanted honest
opinions about himself he would go and strike up a conversation with Evans or
Snivellus.
No, Wormtail was his for spineless groveling and shameless adulation. His and
no one else’s.
“Hey, do you think the other boys have come back already?” James casually
untied the belt and unwrapped Peter’s wrists, trying to sound utterly unfazed.
“Um, I…I don’t know. Probably.” James saw a flicker of hope in those milky eyes
and he knew he had to destroy it.
“Right. Well, I always sleep on the right side of the bed. You can have the
left until you’re sure everyone else is asleep, then you can go back to your
own bed.” Peter looked unexpectedly crestfallen.
“But, but won’t I wake the others up?” He inched closer to James.
“Not if you’re careful you won’t.” James busied himself with kicking off his
trousers to avoid the silence that loomed between them.
“Right.” Peter turned and pulled the covers over himself, making certain he was
at the very edge of his side of the bed. James worried his lip, trying to
convince himself that he didn’t care if Peter’s feelings were hurt. It was
fully unsuccessful.
“Damnit.” James tore back the blankets and grabbed Peter by the arm, tossing
him into the center of the mattress. Then he settled behind that tense body and
wrapped an overly-long arm around that bony ribcage. James’s breath puffed over
that tussled hair.
“No one finds out about this. Understand?” Peter nodded quickly. “We’ll just
get up early tomorrow and deny anything anyone asks. Especially Remus and
Sirius.” Peter giggled—that inane, moronic sound that grated familiarly on
James’s nerves. James sighed in relief.
All in all, it hadn’t been the fully awful Valentine’s Day that James had
expected. And he would have to come up with a considerable lie if he was going
to keep Padfoot and Moony from finding that out.
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